


heart-shaped omelette

by YumeHanabi



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Food, Getting Together, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, feat. a hint of Chronos/Origin in the background, shy awkward boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 08:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28348776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumeHanabi/pseuds/YumeHanabi
Summary: Finding a cooking blog to follow reawakens Jude's love for cooking... and maybe what he feels for the blog owner is more than just gratitude. But it's not like they'd ever cross paths, right?
Relationships: Jude Mathis & Leia Rolando, Jude Mathis/Ludger Will Kresnik
Comments: 12
Kudos: 13





	heart-shaped omelette

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wickedlupin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedlupin/gifts).



> Merry Christmas Sabrina! I found your food blogger prompt way too cute, and it just had to be written! This ended up very fluffy... and way longer than I thought, idk what happened XD;;  
> This is my first time writing those two, so I hope I did them justice :3

It started, as most things did, with Leia.

In truth, nothing about that evening was unusual. Jude was sitting at the table typing on his computer, trying to cram some thesis writing just before his shift at the hospital. His roommate, meanwhile, was sprawled on the couch scrolling her phone, a pen in her other hand and a notepad at her side.

“I’m sooooo hungry,” she whined for what felt the hundredth time.

Normally, Jude wouldn’t respond, but after listening to the same line again and again, his patience was starting to wear thin. “We just ate,” he retorted. A meager meal of instant ramen, as was usually the case for two busy students, but a meal nonetheless.

“You’d be hungry too if you had to look at pictures like these all day!” Leia got up from the couch and shoved her phone under Jude’s nose. He took it to get a proper look. It was a picture of a beautiful rib steak, perfectly cooked and juicy in all the right ways, at least from how the picture presented it.

“That… seems appetizing, yeah,” he conceded. He scrolled down a bit, looking at the other pictures. All were of high-end dishes, disposed on plates in what was surely an artistic way. “Why is this guy yelling about fresh mutton in every comment, though?”

“Aah, yeah, that guy. He’s a bit of an enigma, really,” she told him in a mysterious tone. “He seems to stalk every popular cooking blog, and that’s all he ever comments. And he always finds his way back when he’s banned. Hey, maybe I should write an article on him!” she exclaimed, suddenly struck by inspiration. “I’m sure there’s something to dig up on him somewhere…”

“You should start by finishing _this_ article,” Jude said.

Leia pouted. “Yeah, I know…”

“When’s your assignment due?”

She grimaced. “In two days.”

Jude nodded sympathetically. He was no stranger to tight deadlines, though in his opinion Leia tended to procrastinate a bit too much before her assignments were due. He was about to hand her back her phone when something caught his eye. It was nothing out of the ordinary, really. Just a small picture from a suggested blog. But something about it compelled him to click on it. Sensing his interest in something, Leia leaned over his shoulder to have a look. “Aw, cute.”

It was a picture of a simple omurice dish, but the blogger had arranged it so that it looked like a cute, round cat. He even went as far as paint a face with ketchup.

“Oh, that’s LWK!” Leia exclaimed, looking at the blog’s name.

“You know him?”

“Well, I don’t _know_ him, but I know of him, yeah. He’s gotten pretty popular recently. Doesn’t he make the cutest things? I think that’s how people started noticing him. He only posts simple dishes that anyone can make. He also has a few tutorials for how to arrange the food in funny shapes.”

For some reason, the cat-shaped omurice looked more appetizing to Jude than all the fancy meals of the previous blog. Perhaps it was because it was tugging at his sense of nostalgia, of memories of Leia’s father drawing funny faces on their omurice when they were children. Comforting food eaten in a warm household…

His cell phone’s alarm brought him back to reality. “I have to go!” He jumped up, handing Leia back her phone as he went to get his bag.

“When will you be back?” she asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon,” he replied. “Long shift.”

She patted his back in sympathy.

“Don’t stay up too late,” he told her.

“Yes, doc!”

“And actually write your article instead of salivating over the photos.”

“Oh, _come on_. Are you my mom?”

She ushered him out of the door, assuring him that she was perfectly capable to take care of herself, thankyouverymuch, and that his fussing was entirely unnecessary.

At the end of his long shift, as he turned his phone back on, Jude noticed that he had received a text from Leia. After grumbling a bit internally about her not listening to him when he noticed the time she sent it, he opened it, and a smile etched on his tired face as soon as he read it.

**_Leia-the-slayah: Here’s the link to LWK’s blog. U should follow him! it’ll make ur feed a lil less boring_ **

Slightly offended, he quickly typed out a reply.

**_Jude_M: Trains aren’t boring, Leia. But thank you._ **

Jude did not check his social media much over the next few days, too busy with work and his thesis, but he did notice that LWK had posted another recipe. Special mild mabo curry, he called it, although he added instructions to make it spicy for those who preferred it that way. It sounded appetizing, but the omurice from the other day was the one that stuck in Jude’s mind the most. How long had it been since he’d had a proper home-cooked meal?

Jude opened the cupboard and stared at the rows of instant food with disinterest. He and Leia had tried about all the possible brands and flavors of instant noodles by this point. Jude wondered what his colleagues would say about his unhealthy eating habits, so unfit for a doctor. Then again, they probably did not have much time to cook either. Out of the blue, the image of a fat omelet cat sprang to his mind.

His stomach growled.

Jude Mathis was usually not an impulsive person. He planned his schedule carefully and did not yield to any random whim. Out of the two people living in that tiny student flat, his roommate was the one who would be expected to follow her impulses without a second thought. However, in that moment, Jude threw his meticulously planned study schedule aside and shut the cupboard closed. A few minutes later, he was walking fast toward the nearest supermarket, his phone in hand, checking the list of ingredients on the way.

Omurice was definitely not a hard dish to make, and truth to be told, Jude did not need instructions at all. But something about _that one_ that made Jude want—need—to try it, as if it would lead to a revelation of sort. What sort of revelation, he did not know, but one thing was sure, he was not going to back down now.

Leia came home just as he was putting the finishing touches to his ketchup artwork.

“Hmmm! Is that food I smell? Real food? Jude! Jude!!” she cried out from the entrance hall. She ran into the room, a comically hopeful look on her face.

Jude’s lips twitched. “Good timing. Lunch is ready.”

“Food! Oh my gosh, Jude, you’ve started cooking again!” she plopped down on her chair, eyes wide in amazement.

“I was getting sick of instant food. Good nutrition is important, no matter how busy we are.”

“That’s totally true! I approve a hundred percent!”

Jude chuckled. Cooking for friends was a thing he had missed, too.

“Omurice!” Leia squealed when he set her plate down in front of her. “Oh, is that a frog? It’s so cute!!” Before digging in, she whipped out her phone to take pictures. Suddenly, she paused. “Hey, is this LWK’s recipe? The one we looked at the other day?”

Jude nodded. “It is. I decided to adapt the shape a little, though.” Jude’s own omurice had served as a practice run to make animal shapes, so it wasn’t as elaborate as Leia’s, but what mattered the most to him was the taste anyway. “Let’s dig in.”

Following LWK’s recipe meant that the taste was different that what Jude was used to when he ate his usual ones or those that Leia’s father made. The first bite was thus a little surprising, breaking expectations Jude didn’t even realize he’d had. But the taste quickly became addicting, and he dug into his portion with as much enthusiasm as his roommate.

“Jude! This is delicious!”

Jude could only nod in agreement. “It is definitely better than mine. This LWK has a good grasp on ingredient dosage. And the inclusion of diced tomatoes was a good idea.”

Leia giggled. “You’re sounding like a food critic right now.” After a pause, she added, mischievous, “You should try more of his recipes. You know, for critic.”

Jude rolled his eyes. “You just want me to cook for you.”

“Guilty as charged,” Leia replied cheerily. “I’ll help you. It’s just… it’s so nice to eat actual food again.”

To that, Jude could only nod in agreement.

Later that night, Jude noticed that Leia had tagged him in a comment to LWK’s post, to which she’d attached a picture of her frog omurice and bragged about Jude’s application of the recipe. The blog owner quickly replied to Leia’s comment:

**_LWK: That frog is cute! Your friend is very talented!_ **

A rush of pride washed over Jude, and he had to tell himself that it was silly to get flustered by a faceless stranger’s compliment. Good thing Leia had gone to her room, because she would have no doubt teased him about it.

Over the next few weeks, Jude set out to try each and every one of LWK’s recipes. Leia often helped him with preparations, and the two of them had fun pretending to be food critics and ranking their favorites. Jude took to leaving comments on LWK’s posts himself—though Leia interjected her own commentary as well—and the mystery cook usually replied quickly, thanking them for their comments and praising Jude’s attempts at every occasion. It soon became a regular thing, and the more time passed, the more Jude felt like he was making a new friend. LWK never revealed much about himself, but it was clear from his comments that he was a kind man who genuinely enjoyed sharing his passion for cooking with enthusiastic followers. His compliments always left Jude a little flustered for reasons he was not sure he knew how to explain. He was used to compliments about his intellect, from teachers to fellow classmates—though those were stained with hints of jealousy more often than not—but it was the first time that someone praised him for something else than his ability to study, and that never failed to both surprise and please him.

At some point, and Jude did not even realize how it happened, they moved to private messages. LWK was surprisingly easy to talk to. They talked about random things, like how their days went, in general terms, or about their hobbies. Jude shared his passion for trains, and was a little happy when the blogger didn’t make fun of him for his strange interest, but instead responded with enthusiasm. For his part, Ludger showed him a picture of his cat, the actual model for the omurice (the resemblance was striking, Jude thought). He also let it slip that he had a daughter, and that she was the one who had first encouraged him to post photos of his cute dishes online. For some reason, Jude’s heart sank when he realized the man was married, but it started beating faster when the latter statement was refuted.

**_LWK: I’m a single father. It’s a long story. I’m sorry, I’m trying to keep information about her private_ **

**_Jude_M: That’s understandable. I’m sorry for prying._ **

**_LWK: It’s fine. You were just curious_ **

Once, Jude asked him when he first started cooking.

**_LWK: My brother was working hard to provide for me and I wanted to pay him back in some way. Since he was useless at household chores, I picked up cooking to make sure he always had his favorite dishes ready when he got home._ **

**_Jude_M: That’s so nice of you. I’m sure he must have appreciated it._ **

**_Jude_M: I started young too. My parents were always too busy with work, so I ended up learning to cook to make it easier for them. At first I was just helping my dad, but eventually I started doing everything by myself because he and mom always stayed at the clinic until late._ **

Back then, Derrick never commented on Jude’s attempt to prove himself useful, but he also ate everything to the last bite without complaining, even the time Jude had mixed up salt and sugar. Ellen, on the other hand, always looked apologetic as she thanked him for the meal, no doubt feeling guilty for letting him take over household duties from such a young age. Jude wondered if that would have been his future if Leia hadn’t shown him that blog: always too busy to cook properly, spending all his time on work and work alone, just like his parents.

Jude stepped into the elevator just as the doors were closing. There was already an occupant inside, a pale young man with white hair, sitting in a wheelchair, who Jude recognized as one of the patient he treated with his supervisor.

“Good morning, Doctor Jude,” the man greeted him pleasantly.

“Good morning, Origin.”

“Are you done with your shift?”

They made small talk all the way down. When they finally reached the ground floor, Jude held the elevator door open for him. Origin passed through the doors, but stopped shortly after, seeming to hesitate.

“Is something wrong?” Jude asked.

“Actually… I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.”

“What can I do for you?”

“Could you take me to the staff’s cafeteria?”

“Ah, but…” Jude shook his head apologetically. “Only staff are allowed to access that wing.”

“I can wait before the door,” Origin assured him. “I am merely meeting someone.”

“All right, then.”

Jude took him toward the cafeteria. It was not a place that he frequented often, as he usually went straight back home as soon as his shifts were over, but he knew the general direction, and from there it was easy to follow the signs.

“It is my friend’s birthday,” Origin explained on the way. “I wanted to surprise him.”

“Does your friend work at the cafeteria?”

“He does.” Origin suddenly started giggling. “Don’t tell him I said this, but he’s actually pretty picky with food. Ironic for a cook, isn’t it?”

Jude’s lips twitched.

“His name is Chronos,” Origin said. “Please tell him I’m waiting by the entrance.”

“I will,” Jude promised.

It was still a little early for lunch, so the cafeteria was deserted. Jude approached the counter, hoping to catch a cook’s attention. On the other side of the counter was a young man with silver hair who was busy chopping vegetables. Jude waited for a moment, not wanting to disturb him, but the man must have felt his eyes on him, because he raised his head in his direction a few moments later. Jude’s breath caught in his throat, and he could not help but stare.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” the cook apologized. He wiped his hands on his apron and approached the counter. “How may I help you?”

“Why is one of your bangs black?” Jude blurted out.

“Err…” The man rubbed his neck self-consciously. “I thought it’d look cool?”

Jude groaned and hid his face in his hands in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I’m _so_ sorry.”

The man chuckled. “Long shift, huh?”

“I’m sorry,” Jude repeated. “And… it does.”

“Huh?”

“Look cool.” No sooner had the words left his lips than Jude felt heat rise to his face. He _really_ needed to go home and take a long nap. Possibly forever.

“T-Thanks.” The man rubbed his neck again, a blush spreading on his cheeks.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, getting progressively more embarrassed, before the cook remembered where they were. “Ah, right, I was supposed to take your order.”

“Oh, I’m not here to order anything,” Jude said, thankful for the change of topic. “I’m looking for a Mr Chronos.” Belatedly, he checked the cook’s nametag, and nearly sighed in relief when he realized he had not just embarrassed himself in front of Origin’s friend. The nametag read ‘Ludger’.

Ludger looked alarmed by the sudden request. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Huh?”

“Can I do anything to fix it before involving my manager?”

“Oh! No, no!” Jude hurried to reassure him. “His friend just wanted to see him. It’s his birthday, apparently.”

Understanding crossed Ludger’s face. “I’m sorry, I just assumed…” He laughed nervously. “Nothing good ever happens when customers ask to speak to him. He’s at the back. I’ll go fetch him.”

Ludger came back a few minutes later with a stern-looking man. From the look he was shooting him, Jude understood why Ludger had been nervous. He opened his mouth to explain, but Chronos beat him to it.

“It’s Origin again, isn’t it?” He sighed. “I told him I would visit him in the afternoon…” He shook his head, but nonetheless walked up to the door. Before leaving the cafeteria, he turned to Ludger. “I will be gone for a few minutes. Take care of the customers while I’m gone.”

Now alone again, Jude and Ludger looked at each other awkwardly, not quite knowing what to say.

“Right,” Jude said after a while. “I should probably get going…”

“Don’t you want to eat something first? It’s going to be lunchtime soon.”

“I, well, I was planning to make lunch at home…” Jude’s stomach chose that moment to growl, and Ludger gave him a knowing look. Jude hesitated. Leia was away on a field trip and would only come back late at night, so it wasn’t like she was waiting for him at home. Besides, he truly was exhausted. He could indulge from time to time, right? “I’ve never eaten at the staff cafeteria before,” he admitted. “What would you recommend?”

“It depends on what you like, but we have sandwiches, pasta, udon, omurice…”

“Omurice sounds nice.”

Ludger grinned. “That’s one of my specialties!”

“Great! I mean, yeah, okay, I’ll have that.”

He went to sit at a table close to the counter while Ludger worked on preparing his meal. Jude couldn’t see what he was doing from his seat, but he could see the man’s relaxed expression as he prepared the ingredients. This was someone who enjoyed cooking, Jude realized. Ludger was humming a song, which echoed in the empty room. Selfishly, Jude wished that no one would come in and interrupt the moment.

Normally, Jude would have had to fetch his plate from the counter when his number was called, but since he was the only customer there, Ludger brought it directly to him.

“Here you are.”

“Thank you…” Jude’s words died in his throat when his eyes landed on the plate. Ludger had arranged the omurice, which in itself was not too surprising, since many people liked to make ketchup art with them, Jude included, but, _that shape_ … What Jude was staring at was a very cute, very round cat, that Jude was sure he’d seen before—had a picture saved on his phone, in fact. The ketchup markings were different than the one from the blog, but the proportions and overall look were exactly the same.

As Jude was doing nothing but stare at his plate dumbly, Ludger started getting nervous. “Was that too childish?” he asked uncertainly. “I’m sorry if it offends you. I’m used to shaping it like that, and the nurses usually love it…”

Jude gathered his bearings. “No, no, it’s perfect! It’s… very cute. Very round.” He cringed inwardly. Thank goodness Leia wasn’t here to witness his bumbling, because she would have never let him live it down.

“Good.” Ludger sighed in relief. “Enjoy your meal.”

“Thanks.”

Ludger went back to his kitchen, but Jude could feel him glance at him curiously from time to time. For some reason, his hand was trembling when he brought his spoon to the omelette. He was so nervous that he did not really taste the first few spoonfuls, but he forced himself to calm down and just eat normally. It was good. Really good. Comforting, and somewhat familiar.

“Did you like it?” Ludger asked when Jude brought back his empty plate to the counter.

“Yeah. It was delicious.” Was it his imagination, or did Ludger’s smile widen when Jude said that?

Ludger took the plates to wash them, but Jude lingered at the counter, hesitant. “Say…” It was probably nothing. Just a coincidence. He was probably just going to make a fool of himself again. Still, he couldn’t help but ask. “If it’s not too much to ask, could you tell me where you learned that recipe? Like, how to make the cat and stuff…”

“Oh, that… Well, actually, I made my own recipe.” Jude held his breath. “I have a blog where I posted the recipe, if you’d like to try it yourself.”

“I’m Jude,” Jude blurted out. “Jude Ma—”

Chronos chose that moment to barge into the cafeteria and stalk toward the kitchen menacingly. He looked a little flustered himself, but that was probably Jude projecting. Unable to bear the embarrassment any longer, Jude made his only smart choice of the day. He fled.

Leia found him later that night huddled under his covers and categorically refusing to come out.

“Jude, are you ok? Are you sick?” Her concern should have been endearing, but it only made Jude want to sink deeper into his mattress. “Juuuude? I know you’re in there.” She poked at the bundle, trying to locate which limb was where.

“I’m fine, Leia,” he mumbled.

“What was that?” She peeled off the cover to get a better look at his face.

“Say, Leia…”

“Yes?”

Jude fixed her with a serious look. “Can one die of embarrassment?”

To her credit, Leia tried her best not to laugh. She was not completely successful at hiding her smile, however. “I don’t know, you’re the doctor, you tell me.”

Jude turned around and hid his face under his pillow. “I’m _never_ interacting with anyone after a night shift again. Ever.”

“Aww, what happened?”

Jude refused to answer—he wouldn’t give her that kind of ammunition—and eventually she gave up trying to interrogate him and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry so much. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

It was a good thing he had the next day off, because he wasn’t sure he would be able to step foot in the hospital again so soon.

He checked his phone once, but all he found were texts of encouragement from Leia. His chat box with LWK was strangely silent.

He was probably overthinking it. Even if, by some twist of fate, the man he’d met at the cafeteria _was_ Jude’s internet friend—and there was no guarantee that he was; it could have been a coincidence, after all. Maybe he was a fellow fan who’d simply copied the recipe. (But didn’t he say he had a blog?) Heck, maybe he was the mysterious mutton man who stalked every cooking blog Leia knew of. (But the meal he’d served Jude was completely free of mutton. In fact, it had contained diced tomatoes, just like LWK liked.) Even if it was him, he was unlikely to have made the connection. Jude’s name wasn’t exactly uncommon. And LWK probably had a lot of fans he talked to. He wouldn’t remember Jude’s name, would he? Maybe he should have used a pseudonym anyway, after all…

Suddenly, his phone buzzed with a new notification. Jude opened the app with trepidation.

“It’s ok, you’re overthinking. It’s nothing, it’s nothing,” he chanted under his breath.

**_LWK: Hey_ **

**_LWK: This might sound strange out of the blue, but_ **

**_LWK: Do you happen to work at Talim Hospital?_ **

Jude stared at the screen. Reread the messages. Stared again. Then resisted the urge to smash his face into his pillow. So much for not worrying. Frantically, he opened another chat box.

**_Jude_M: Leia._ **

**_Jude_M: I’ve been found out._ **

**_Jude_M: What do I do?_ **

**_Leia-the-slayah: ???_ **

**_Leia-the-slayah: Wtv it is, honesty is best policy!_ **

**_Leia-the-slayah: u can do it!!! I_** ** _’m rooting 4 u!!_** ** _(*•̀ᴗ•́*)_** ϑ ** _̑̑_**

Jude sighed, but a smile formed on his lips nonetheless. Trust Leia to cheer him up no matter what. Feeling a little braver, he switched back to the other chat.

**_LWK: I’m sorry, I’m probably imagining things. Please forget this._ **

**_Jude_M: Yes_ **

_LWK is typing…_

**_Jude_M: I work at the hospital_ **

He hesitated an instant, but fueled by renewed energy, he pressed on.

**_Jude_M: Yesterday…_ **

**_LWK: At the cafetaria_ **

**_Jude_M: Was that you?_ **

**_LWK: Was that you?_ **

**_Jude_M: Yes._ **

**_LWK: You’re Dr Mathis, right? I asked my manager about you._ **

**_Jude_M: Yes. Well, I’m still a resident, but that’s how people call me at the hospital. You can just call me Jude though._ **

Was that too direct? Oh well, it was too late to back down now.

**_Jude_M: Listen, I wanted to apologize again for yesterday. I was sleep-deprived and made a fool of myself._ **

**_LWK: It’s fine_ **

**_LWK: I thought you were cute_ **

Jude blushed a deep red. Ludger’s compliments affected him _way_ too much, it was starting to become a problem.

**_LWK: I mean_ **

**_LWK: I’m used to sleep-deprived nurses and doctors haha_ **

**_LWK: so don’t worry about it_ **

**_Jude_M: Okay._ **

**_Jude_M: Thank you._ **

Jude smiled. Crisis averted. He could breathe a little easier now.

**_Jude_M: Also_ **

**_Jude_M: I’m glad I could taste the real thing :)_ **

**_Jude_M: That wasn’t Rollo, though._ **

**_LWK: Yeah, I change the design from time to time_ **

**_LWK: I can make Rollo next time ;)_ **

Jude’s heart skipped a beat. _Next time._ Okay Jude, play it cool. Don’t mess this up.

**_Jude_M: Sure._ **

**_Jude_M: I look forward to it ^_^_ **

**_LWK: Are you on shift tomorrow?_ **

**_Jude_M: Only in the afternoon. I’ll be there around lunchtime the next day though._ **

**_LWK: Great! I’ll set the best ingredients aside!_ **

**_LWK: errr, if you want me to, that is_ **

**_Jude_M: I do! I look forward to seeing you again._ **

**_LWK: Me too! See you soon, then :)_ **

The next day passed both incredibly fast and excruciatingly slowly. When the time finally came, Jude decided to leave early so he would get to the cafeteria before lunchtime, to ensure that there wouldn’t be too many people around. That morning, Jude was a little self-conscious when he prepared for the day. He tried to style his hair to the best of his ability, and chose his best clothes.

“Are you going to work, or on a date?” Leia asked him critically as she eyed him trying to get his hair to cooperate.

“I’m just trying to look good for my patients,” Jude lied. “It raises their morale.”

She gave him a look that told him she was anything but fooled. “Suuuure. Be careful not to let them distract you too much.”

Jude blushed slightly, but did not rise to her bait.

He arrived even earlier than he’d anticipated, but that was just perfect, because the cafeteria was completely empty, save from the cook chopping vegetables in the kitchen area, of course. Ludger raised his head when he heard Jude enter, and his face split into a wide grin when he saw him. Jude was probably wearing a similar expression himself.

“Hi.”

“Hi, Jude. You’re early.”

“Ah, yeah… I was excited to meet you again. Properly this time.”

Ludger laughed a bit nervously. “Me too.”

They looked at each other for a while, at a loss of what to say now.

“I-I’ll get started,” Ludger said.

“Right.”

“Please have a seat, I won’t be long.”

“Can I watch you cook this time?” Jude asked.

“Ah, well…” Ludger rubbed his neck sheepishly. “I actually prepared something extra this time. I’d like it to be a surprise.”

“Oh. No problem. I can wait over there.”

Jude took a seat and waited patiently, looking at Ludger from afar like he’d done the first time. Ludger kept glancing at him and offering him nervous smiles while he worked. Jude suddenly recalled the way he’d called him cute. In Jude’s opinion, it was Ludger who was the cute one here. The moment that thought crossed his mind, he hid his flustered face into his hands.

“Don’t do anything embarrassing this time, Jude Mathis,” he muttered under his breath.

When he raised his head, he noticed that Ludger was looking at him quizzically. Jude just shook his head, trying to convey that there was nothing to worry about. Ludger nodded and went back to work, an amused smile on his lips.

When he was done, he brought Jude his plate and set it before him without comment. This time, the cat’s drawing was identical to the photo from the blog, and to that of Ludger’s cat.

“It really does look like Rollo,” Jude said appraisingly. But in truth, something else had caught his eye. “Why… are there hearts all around it?” he asked carefully.

“They’re special. For you. Since I’m glad to see you again.” Ludger’s cheeks were a lovely shade of pink.

Jude turned to face him fully. “Ludger, is that…” His mouth suddenly felt very dry. “Is that a roundabout way of asking me out?”

Ludger bit his lip and nodded. “If that’s okay with you. Otherwise just pretend they’re there for the holiday spirit or something.”

“Can I kiss you?” Jude blurted out before he could stop himself. The urge to hide his face in shame came back again, but he forced himself to keep his gaze straight on Ludger’s wide eyes.

Ludger nodded, too shocked to speak. Jude did not need any other sign. He sprang to his feet and crashed his lips against Ludger’s, who let out a muffled sound of surprise. It was a bit awkward at first. In his eagerness, Jude had come at Ludger too strongly, and they both nearly lost their balance.

Ludger straightened him up while trying not to fall himself, using a table for support. “So is that a yes?” he asked.

“ _Yes_. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this.” Jude himself hadn’t fully known either until he saw the hearts, but now that he was in Ludger’s arms, he felt like he was exactly where he was meant to be.

Ludger laughed breathlessly. Gently, he cupped Jude’s cheek and pressed their lips together again. This kiss was softer than the previous one, less frantic. They took their time discovering each other. Ludger’s mouth was warm and sweet, and felt so good against Jude’s. Jude thought he could quickly get addicted to that.

“You should eat before it gets cold,” Ludger whispered against his lips. But he made no move to break away.

“Food can wait,” Jude retorted, equally reluctant to stop. “This is better.”

“Hm.”

Jude sneaked a hand in Ludger’s hair and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. At that moment, a door banged open with a loud noise, startling them both.

_“Ludger Will Kresnik!”_ came an irate voice from the kitchen. Jude chanced a glance in that direction, and was met with the sight of Ludger’s manager glaring daggers at the pair. “What do you think you are doing?! You are supposed to be working!”

“I’m sorry,” Ludger squeaked. He quickly untangled himself from Jude and sprinted toward the kitchen, where Chronos proceeded to lecture him about his inappropriate behavior and everything that was wrong with this hospital.

Jude sat back on his seat. He should have probably been mortified to have been caught like that, but the lingering memory of Ludger’s lips on his own had him feeling to giddy to care. He caught Ludger’s apologetic gaze and mouthed “I’ll be back after my shift.”

Ludger smiled and nodded—and was promptly told off for not paying attention.

_That’s a promise._

* * *

**_Jude_M: Leia._ **

**_Jude_M: I have a scoop for you._ **

**_Jude_M: LWK’s omurice designs look way cuter in person ;)_ **

**_Jude_M: *image attached*_ **

**_Leia-the-slayah: asdfhgk;;???!!!!_ **

**_Leia-the-slayah: jUdE MAthiS_ **

**_Leia-the-slayah: u better land me an exclusive interview_ **

**_Leia-the-slayah: rite now!!!_ **

**_Jude_M: ^_^_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus
> 
> Ludger, practicing his Rollo omelette diligently  
> Elle: why are you adding hearts around him  
> Ludger: I’m practicing. I’ll be serving it to a special someone tomorrow  
> Elle: oh my gosh have you been reading my shojo manga again? This is so cheesy, I’m embarrassed to be your daughter. I bet they’ll hate it. They better hate it! You’re only allowed to date people who have _style!_  
>  Ludger: ;_;


End file.
